1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for knitting a crossing pattern and an apparatus for knitting a crossing pattern in a flat knitting machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a usual flat knitting machine, a pair of needle beds which contain movable knitting needles are arranged to form an inverted V-shaped form in a side view. In knitting a rib knit fabric or a tubular knit fabric by using front and rear knitting needles of this flat knitting machine, it is impossible to decrease stitches at an intermediate portion in a row of stitches because there is no knitting needle for temporally holding a loop to be moved.
To solve this problem, Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 41-7907 discloses a flat knitting machine, wherein a pair of needles beds, containing movable knitting needles, are arranged to form an inverted V-shaped form in a side view. A transferring jack bed, containing movable jacks in jack grooves, is provided above each needle bed. A stitch to be transferred is transferred from the knitting needle to the transferring jack, and the stitch engaged with the transferring jack is transferred to another knitting needle after the transferring jack engaged with the stitch is moved in a transverse direction.
Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-168943 discloses a flat knitting machine, wherein a transferring jack bed is supported above a needle bed by supporting members. Transferring jacks, at the front ends of which stitch engaging portions are formed, are movably arranged in the transferring bed. The transferring jacks are moved forward and backward by a transferring cam accompanied with a carriage. The transferring jack bed is moved in a transverse direction by a driving means provided at one side of the transferring jack bed. A stitch engaged with the stitch engaging portion is moved in a transverse direction and the stitch is transferred to another knitting needle.
Furthermore, Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 56-21854, of the present applicant, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-256752 disclose a flat knitting machine, wherein a transferring jack bed, containing movable jacks grooves, is provided above a needle bed. A stitch to be transferred is transferred from the knitting needle to the transferring jack. The stitch engaged with the transferring jack is transferred to another knitting needle after the transferring jack engaged with the stitch is moved in a transverse direction.
However, according to the flat knitting machines having a stitch transferring mechanism described in each of the above publications, a transferring jack moves forward and backward with a transferring cam running accompanied with a carriage, and a stitch is transferred with the transferring jack moved forward and backward, each time the carriage runs.
In those cases, for example where a rope like crossing pattern is formed while a rib knit is knitted using all of the knitting needles at the front and the rear, each stitch of at least a pair of stitches, which are intended to cross, is transferred from a needle with which the stitch is engaged, to a transferring jack located above the knitting needle or above a needle facing the needle, and after the transferring jack is moved in a direction toward a position of the transferred stitch to be crossed, keeping the transferred stitch at a distal end of the transferring jack, the crossed stitch is transferred to a knitting needle to complete the crossing pattern. However, there is a problem that a crossing pattern can not be formed while a rib knit fabric, or a tubular knit fabric, is knitted using all of the knitting needles, because the transferring jack is moved forward and backward every time the carriage runs and a stitch transferred to the transferring jack is cleared because the transferring jack is pulled in when the carriage passes which results in inability of keeping the stitches engaged with the stitch engaging portions of the transferring jack.